2016: The year of electric bikes?

[Omninorm]

This delivery comes just a month after Alta took their Redshift SM (supermoto) to the final date of the SupermotoUSA calendar in Sacramento, California. The initial plan was just to ride it around during the practice session on Saturday but, with Kevin Butler on the bike, the lights removed, and slicks fitted - the bike recorded times so quick that they decided to enter it into Sunday’s race.

Come Sunday, the conditions were ridiculously wet and ridiculously muddy as Butler lined up at the back of the 250 cc class heat race. Despite being a relative to newbie to supermoto, Butler finished the eight lap race with a comfortable lead over the second place finisher. With pole position, he won the 250 cc main race easily.

With so much success in the 250 class, Alta decided to enter it into the bigger 450 class as well, because why not. With only 40 horsepower, the Redshift is definitely a 250 class competitor, but Sacramento is a tight track and the team thought it could be interesting.

Again, he started at the back of the pack and, again he passed (almost) everyone - this time coming in second.

Source and complete article:
https://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/2016-could-be-the-year-of-the-electric-motorcycle-1749875077

Alta’s water-cooled 14,000 rpm motor is not only pound for pound one of the most powerful in motorcycles, it is also designed to maximize the available width of the Redshift’s bulkhead while allowing placement at the precise roll center of the bike. This placement allows for the lowest polar moment of inertia in motorcycling, drastically minimizing any gyroscopic impediment to handling. The result is a 15lb unit that puts out 40hp and 34 ft-lbs of torque, and is combined with a 3.5:1 gear reduction for delivering a whopping 122 ft-lbs of torque at the counter shaft from zero RPM. Basically, there’s plenty of torque to loft the front wheel whenever you need to in a bike that corners like nothing you have ever ridden. The faster you go, the more of an advantage you have.

Freed from the challenges of a hot exhaust system, Alta engineers have re-imagined the ideal off-road subframe structure: strong, light, durable, and comfortable. The core is made entirely of Xenoy, a resin engineered for exceptional durability. This allows the system to be compliant for rider comfort, and to bounce back rather than bend or break in a crash. To achieve a more efficient (i.e. lighter, stronger) structure, we designed a system of internal ribs and a stressed skin like an airplane fuselage. All together, the Redshift airframe tests at multiples of the strength of a standard aluminum or polymer subframe.

https://www.altamotors.co/technology/

With Alta, Zero, BMW and KTM going with these types of bikes I'm thinking we are going to be seeing a lot more of these in the future.
I really liked what I saw with the Zero and would love a test ride on one.

In MTB there are a lot of electric bikes showing up at trails / rides and I've even seen soem of those Fat Bikes being ridden on the beach with the electric motor.

What I like about electric is the seemingly maintenance free and realible nature of the engine / fueling and the fact that it could potentially make really light bikes. Electricity could also be virtually free if you look at solar / wind etc.

What I don't like currently.
Losing the Braaaaaaapp! (But this could mean you could ride many more places thats currently not allowed)
Eskom
Long charge times
Range (actually not an issue if charge times could be brought down.) currently 160km /190 km per charge,but takes 8 hours to charge.

 

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[RobCrouch]

 

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